French commentator, Pierre Haski told the BBC's Newshour programme that "the mystery here is that he was found to have quite a good arsenal of weapons, war weapons, and given that he was under surveillance it's not clear how this could have escaped the attention of the authorities."

Police have arrested the man's two brothers and sisters at a separate location and also brought his mother to the scene to help the negotiation, without apparent success.

President Nicolas Sarkozy said: "In the name of the nation I would like to congratulate the police for the speed of their inquiry and their exceptional mobilisation of forces," he said.

"I am also thinking deeply about the victims of this barbaric act and also thinking about all those police officers that were wounded last night during the operation."

Toulouse Shootings: French Police Surround House

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French policemen stand near the Belle Pa

French policemen stand near the Belle Paule residence where members of the RAID special police forces unit attempt to arrest a self-declared Islamist gunman on March 21, 2012 in Toulouse, southwestern France. A police operation was still underway more than three hours later as the sun rose, and it was thought that the 24-year-old suspect accused of killing seven people in recent days was resisting arrest. (Photo credit: PASCAL GUYOT/AFP/Getty Images)